Monday, May 14, 2007

Ignatieff Calls on Dion to Fire Liberal Party's National Director

...Ignatieff argued that Carroll can't remain ostensibly in charge of rebuilding and unifying the party after publicly casting aspersions on the loyalty of erstwhile leadership competitors.

"He was forceful that it was his view that (Carroll) should go," said one well-placed insider.Although displeased with Carroll's public musings, sources say Dion indicated that he would not fire his hand-picked choice for the party's top administrative post.

Ignatieff, who was overtaken by Dion on the final ballot at last December's leadership convention, was incensed by comments from Carroll in a new book released Saturday.

In Against the Current, author Linda Diebel writes that two months ago Carroll began to doubt the wisdom of Dion giving key roles to all his former rivals – including his choice to make Ignatieff deputy leader.

"I am starting to wonder if he may not have been a little too good to his former competitors," Carroll is quoted as saying.

Diebel writes that Carroll "lived in fear of an all-out drive against Dion," orchestrated by one or more of Dion's top three leadership rivals – Ignatieff, Bob Rae and Gerard Kennedy.

"What they do in public doesn't bother me. It's the shit they do behind the scenes – which I may not know they're doing – that keeps me up at night," Carroll is quoted as saying.

Senior organizers for each of the former contenders were privately furious about the remarks, particularly those in the Ignatieff camp on whom Carroll's suspicions seemed primarily focused.